God is not a man,
that He should lie
nor a son of man,
that He should repent,
has He said, and
will He not do?
Or has He spoken,
and will He not
make it good?
Numbers 23:19
The question was asked: "What was God to do? Was it not He that brought into this world all that is from nothing? By the corruption of man and all that effects of that corruption upon the creation of God there is in some sense a ruination of His Word. Therefore, was He just to allow sin and corruption to have their way with man? Surely then, it would have been better for Him not to create at all. God was under no imputation to create. If God would allow man to die and become nothing due to Satan or due to man's own neglect, would that not argue for the goodness of God? But, if He did so, would not that have limited God in some manner? Yes! It was then impossible for God to leave men to be carried off by corruption because it would be unfitting and unworthy of Himself. While man is corrupted and God being a just God, not a fair God as some would like Him to be, but a God of justice and His justice demanded to be enforced because of God's nature as stated in the opening Scripture: God does not lie. Samuel wrote: And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor relent. For He is not a man, that he should relent" (1 Samuel 15:29). Paul in his letter to Titus: "...in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began" (Titus 1:2). Notice carefully what Paul wrote to Titus; God from before time made this promise. God determined that He would have a people for His name before He made people. He chose you, but you did not choose Him, and He chose before time began all whom He would choose to be the bride of His Son Jesus Christ; (Romans 8:28-29). The writer of the book of Hebrews adds: "...that by two immutable things in which it is impossible for God not lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us" (Hebrews 6:18). It is unthinkable that God would go back on His word. Is He not then the Father of truth? He could not falsify Himself. He could not lie just to ensure our continued existence.
Upon any examination of man it will be found that the soul of man, by reason of the corruption of nature, is darkened; " Having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart" (Ephesians 4:18). The Apostle John writes: "And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it" (John 1:5). Paul in writing to those troubled Christians at the Church of Corinth writes: "But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Corinthians 2:14). Paul writes that man cannot know the things of God. The words of Paul in Greek are: oύ δύναται; and are in the present indicative which means that this is a simple statement of fact or reality that is viewed as occurring in actual time. These terms are "historical presents" and such occurrences dramatize the event described as if the reader were there watching the event occur. Man is ignorant, he is disenabled for the comprehending of divine truth. Man is armed with prejudice and opposition as shown by the complaining Jews towards Jesus: "And they said, 'Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that He says, 'I have come down from heaven" (John 6:42)? Later on the Pharisees gave this answer: "They answered and said to him, 'Are you also from Galilee? Search and look, for no prophet has arisen out of Galilee" (John 7:52). Man has framed for himself false principles and a desire for self-sufficiency this from the beginning with the sin of Adam. Into this day this sin languishes and man still contends for supreme power. Man strives to control his actions and in so doing has developed many heresies. This attitude, this change of nature has invaded the Church troubling many Christians causing them to follow fables. Man does all he can to bring himself happiness and to dissolve himself form the Providence of God, he wishes to be exempted from the Almighty God. There are wrangling disputes or carnal reason against the Word of God. That which man should ascribe to God he disposes of and has in every way possible vindicated this pre-eminence unto themselves. This must be so, and we can see that it so; if was not so then God would be a liar for He has told us that this is so.
Therefore, God not being a liar, a just God demanding justice; what was He to do? What are we to do? Anything? God chooses His children, His elect, and they know Him as Jesus in answer to the Jews gives: "Jesus answered them and said, 'My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent me. If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from god or whether I speak on My own authority. He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who speaks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and not unrighteousness is in Him" (John 7:16-18). Well, could not God just demand repentance? This is the subject of the next blog.
He comes from
the north
as golden splendor;
with God is
awesome majesty.
Job 37:22
Look up: God is Great
Richard L. Crumb
No comments:
Post a Comment